Los Angeles Forgets Its Own Birthday

Every year around the anniversary of Los Angeles' Sept. 4, 1781, founding, a group of die-hard Angelenos and descendants of the city's original residents reenact the nine-mile hike that L.A.'s 44 pobladores (settlers) took from the San Gabriel Mission to El Rio de Nuestra Señora La Reina de Los Angeles de Porciúncula.

Here we were, all set to finally take part in the Los Pobladores Walk this year. But it was too late to register by mail, so I took the advice of the flyer and checked out L.A.'s 227th anniversary birthday page at www.lacity.org/227. Nothing.

No one bothered to upload the page, despite the city referencing it in its brochure. Strangely, the city's 226th birthday website -- www.lacity.org/226 -- is still up there.

I hope they get their act together by 2009... or at least I get my act together and mail in a form.

POSTSCRIPT: I can't be too laudatory about last year's 226th birthday site. Check out how the city spells its own name:



Yep, "City of Angles." Go L.A.!